Beauty and the Bodyguard
by darkrose01
Summary: FBI agent Troy Bolton has a new assignment to protect America's Sweetheart, Gabriella Montez, but the problem is he hates her. However, with her beauty and charm, she soon starts to melt his heart. Can he protect her from those that want to hurt her and still manage to protect his own heart?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've been starting a lot of new stories lately and then deleting them but here's to this one sticking! Enjoy!

Beauty and the Bodyguard

Chapter 1: The Assignment

Gabriella sat perched on the balls of her feet. Her big brown eyes darted left and right, uneasy at her situation.

She was in some little area. The floor was concrete and the walls were metal. She placed her hands on the metal and pushed but nothing moving. She banged on it but nothing moved.

Her whole body was shaking. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think through the pain that nipped and gnawed at every vein in her body as blood pumped furiously to try and get her heart rate back to normal.

She dug her fingernails into her thighs and pressed down. She needed release. She needed…something she could control, and that was her only option. She had to be strong.

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, she thought to herself.

Gabriella slammed her eyes shut but the tears still squeezed out of the corners in waves as she tried to calm herself.

The RV suddenly shifted.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't DO THIS!

She did the only thing that she knew to do. Despite the pain in her chest, she took in a deep shaky breath and released a scream.

As her voice broke and her scream slid to a lower octave of pure pain, the vehicle she was in slammed to a stop.

Before she could move to protect herself, she was tossed forward into the metal panel that she was trapped in and with a crack her head kissed the metal.

Without a sound, and due to the force of the brakes, she collapsed into a heap on the floor.

Moments later, the sounds of footsteps were heard and the panel was fiddled with before it slid open to reveal two shadows.

Two people stood there, glaring at the young unconscious woman that lied on the dirty cement floor and the blood that was not only on her temple but also on the metal panel that surrounded it.

"Now what?" The taller of the two people asked.

The other person sighed.

"Really? You're incompetent. I'll handle this myself. Just go." They snarled and the taller person sighed.

"You don't have to talk to me-" they started to retort, but the shorter person lifted their hand for silence and stalked off.

…

He ran up the stairs on the balls of his feet, silencing his heel to cut back on noise.

Once at the door at the top of the stairs he paused, his aqua eyes alert, for he had to be prepared for anything.

When he took a deep breath, he knew that he was ready, and he used his broad shoulder to burst the door down.

"FREEZE!" He yelled out, his deep voice harsh and raspy.

A group of men stood in the center of the room, and at the sound of Troy Bolton's voice, they turned, all of their guns aimed at him. The guy in the middle of the men smirked.

"Bye Bye Bolton" He snarled before he pulled the trigger.

And a green paintball hit Troy right in the chest.

"DAMN IT!" Troy cried out, dropping his paint gun and throwing his hands up into the air.

The group of men laughed.

"You need to check your surroundings before you burst into the room like Don Juan, Bolton! You should know better!" The man in the middle, who shot him, admonished.

Troy nodded in agreement. Suddenly, his cell phone buzzed.

With a guilty shrug at his fellow agents, he answered.

"Captain" He bellowed into the receiver and the other agents laughed, mimicking his sudden authorative tone.

He turned his backs on his fellow agents so he wouldn't laugh at their constant prods.

"Bolton. My office now. New assignment." The captain barked into the phone. Troy winced at the harsh tone of his voice. Captain was always a soft and sensitive man, Troy sarcastically thought to himself.

Troy turned around and smirked at the guys.

"I would continue agent training with you newbies, but I just got my first assignment!" Troy announced, pumping his fist into the air like an eighties hero.

The group of guys groaned.

"Pretty boy gets the first job. Who's surprised? Say I?" The guy in the middle, Zeke, asked. The room lapsed into silence…and then laughter.

Troy rolled his eyes and walked down to the captain's office. Who knew that in the first few months of being a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation he would get a solo job?

…

"Mr. Bolton, I'll cut right to the chase. We need you to go undercover." Captain said, his voice choppy and blunt.

Troy wrinkled his face in confusion.

"I'm sure you know who Gabriella Montez is."

Troy's eyes widened. Gabriella Montez was a teenage model, actress, singer, and dancer. Besides landing numerous roles on Broadway, movies, and television, she was only 17. And she was known for being very private, stubborn, and well in a word… difficult.

Yet she was exceedingly charming and beautiful. Gabriella Montez was America's sweetheart… and he kind of disliked her. A typical pretty girl exploiting her average looks enhanced only by paint called "make-up" that was slathered on and on. Her singing voice was mediocre at best, and her dancing awkward on television, and her charm during interviews seemed false and forced.

Ugh. Call him a hater but he rreeeaaaalllyyy didn't want anything to do with her.

His distaste must have shown on his face, because the Captain's face warped into a harsh scowl.

"Put your personal feelings aside, Bolton. We have reason to believe that she is being targeted for a kidnapping and you need to go undercover at her performing arts high school to ensure her safety. You'll be staying at her home until all of this clears up. Protect her with your life." The Captain instructed and outstretched his hand, which held a folder containing all of the information on the case that Troy needed. Troy sighed.

His first mission… and it was going to suck ass.

…

Gabriella woke up with a start, her heart pounding and her body dripping with sweat.

Gasping for air, she reached over and popped some pills from a bottle on her nightstand. She had had that terrible nightmare for the past two weeks, every single night. But it was just a dream.

Right?

A/N: Whelp… that happened. If I get five reviews or notifications, I'll update. Love ya'll!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Ya'll are awesome. That is all.

**Beauty and the Bodyguard**

Chapter 2: The Introduction

"I'm sorry, did you say a BODYGUARD?!" Gabriella screeched, his voice high in surprise.

Gabriella's mother sighed in exasperation. She knew that informing Gabriella of the situation was necessary, but she also knew that her daughter needed to be protected. She couldn't tell her everything. Not yet.

"Gabriella, your fans are great and they love you. You're beautiful, talented, and your reputation is impeccable, but there are people who are envious and desperate to keep you down and destroy you. I won't let that happen to mi hija. But, I can't be with you all of the time, and I'm not big enough to protect you. This man is." Ms. Montez informed, as she moved towards her daughter.

Gabriella nodded in understanding and Ms. Montez sighed as tears ran down her daughter's face. Ms. Montez reached out and pulled her daughter to her, enveloping her petite daughter into her arms.

"I don't understand why people want to hurt me. I don't even know them. Every day I get letters in the mail calling me names and saying all these mean things, and every time I post on the Internet, I get just the meanest comments and so I stop posting but then they make hate pages and people boo me when I'm in public. I just hate being hated and judged so much by people who don't even know me." Gabriella confessed.

As Gabriella sniffled against her mother's shoulder, Ms. Montez sighed sadly. Her daughter did not even know the horrible, horrible truth yet and she was already upset. Sure, what was happening to her was terrible, but it was expected with fame. Gabriella would have to toughen up.

Ms. Montez admired her daughter's sensitivity, but she also feared it.

She hoped her daughter could handle what was up ahead.

…

Troy walked up the steps of the large mansion that sprawled in front of him, his eyebrows raised. He hoped they had a security system installed, or else he'd have to get one. All points of entry needed to be monitored because in a house that large, you wouldn't know someone was in the home until they were on top of you with a knife.

He hoped that this job wouldn't be too much work. Protect the brat, eat, and sleep. That's all he wanted. Easy, breezy, beautiful.

Good lord, all the lonely hours in front of the television were affecting him and hanging out with a teenage starlet was not going to help.

He sighed for what felt like the millionth time as he reached out a large hand and pressed the doorbell that was in the shape of a heart.

It was going to be a long assignment.

…

Gabriella wiped her tear streaked face on the back of her hand and smiled shakily at her mother.

"I guess that's him huh?" Gabriella questioned and her mother nodded and smiled in return.

"I'll go clean up, then. Don't want him to first meet me when I'm looking a mess." Gabriella joked before turning and disappearing up the ornate staircase.

Ms. Montez shook her head. Her daughter was always a perfectionist.

Ms. Montez walked to the front door, confident and strong in her five inch heels, but when she opened the door she almost tumbled.

"Who are you?!" She exclaimed as she looked the young man that stood in her doorway up and down.

"I'm Troy Bolton ma'am. I'm sent by the FBI to-" Troy started to introduce but suddenly Ms. Montez placed a small hand on his broad chest and shoved him out of the doorway and onto the large wrap around porch.

She followed and slammed the door shut behind them.

"Do not, I repeat DO NOT tell Gabriella what is really going on. All you are to tell her is that you are a bodyguard to keep rabid fans and jealous 'haters' away." Ms. Montez quoted, her hands flailing in the air and her accent becoming thicker as she became excited.

Troy blinked at her. First of all, why was she lying to her daughter? What was happening was a big deal and Gabriella deserved to know, brat or not, but then again he was not her parent so he could not judge, not really. Second, did she say haters?

"Are we clear?!" Ms. Montez questioned and Troy nodded. He wasn't afraid of mothers, but he was afraid of this one. She would do anything for her daughter, which much was clear immediately.

Suddenly, the large oak wood door opened and out stepped the Gabriella Montez.

…..

Gabriella gasped quietly when she saw him.

He had large frosted Gucci sunglasses on, a leather jacket, fitted dark wash blue jeans that showcased his tight um… behind, and a tight white t-shirt that showcased numerous, rippling abs.

The wind blew and everything began to move in slow motion for Gabriella. The man on the porch tossed his head to the side and his long brown hair, complete with surfer bands, swung gracefully to the side. He slowly removed his sunglasses and Gabriella saw the biggest and bluest eyes that she had ever seen.

Maybe having a bodyguard wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

…

Troy saw the goo goo eyes before he had even blinked. Yeah, no way, she was a child, and he wasn't even looking at her that way.

Jail bait, jail bait, jail bait.

That was all she was so he refused to look at those chocolate brown eyes framed by those thick and curly dark eyelashes.

Stop it.

But… that petite figure with the curves.

Stop IT.

Or the long and curly obsidian hair… he wondered if the carpet matched the-

STOP IT!

SHE WAS A CHILD!

Yes, he was only a few years older but still. She was his mission. That was all she was and all that she would ever be. An assignment. He didn't care about her and he wouldn't.

At least that's what he told himself as she reached out a perfect and small French manicured hand and smiled a blinding white smile at him.

…

"Ms. Montez, please hurry, it's time for class." Troy shouted from the bottom of the stairs the next morning.

He was staying in the guest quarters on the east wing, on the opposite wing of Gabriella, and he was beyond impressed with the arrangement. His room was practically a suite, complete with a walk in closet, hot tub style bathtub, a shower that came down like rain from the ceiling, a full kitchen, balcony, and a bed that could fit a family of ten.

After reading through the case files that the captain had faxed over the night before he found out that he wasn't just protecting Gabriella at school, he had to pretend to be a new student.

Damn his baby face.

Troy sighed. Gabriella was taking forever! He was aware that being a girl was difficult but she was so conceited, thinking that her and her beauty techniques was more important than his mission and her safety.

Gabriella suddenly bounded down the stairs. She was wearing a black skirt, white heels, and a white off the shoulder peasant top.

She had legs that were tan, shiny, smooth, and went on for days and her hair was straightened and fell in soft waves down her back.

Troy kept his face blank but he did gulp.

"Let's go, Ms. Montez" Troy instructed and Gabriella laughed as he walked her to the garage and opened her door for her.

"Don't call me that, Gabriella will do." She giggled as she slid into the leather seat.

Troy got behind the wheel and shook his head.

"I apologize ma'am, but that is too personal." Troy admonished as he double checked their surroundings as the garage door slid open.

Gabriella gave him a look of confusion but shrugged.

They were riding in silence and it was a ten minute drive to the school. The young Hispanic woman could no longer deal with the silence.

She shifted forward.

"Please sit back in your seat Ms. Montez." Troy instructed. Gabriella rolled her eyes.

Attractive but lame.

"I cannot deal with silence, Mr. Bolton. So either you talk to me, or you let me slightly move forward on my seat and turn on the radio." Gabriella smirked.

Troy glanced at her before leaning forward and clicking on the radio.

As the song played, Gabriella groaned and changed the station.

"Why did you change it?" Troy questioned, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well, it was my song, and I hate hearing myself sing. I never watch my own movies, music videos, or listen to my own music. It seems a little… conceited. And I don't love myself that much." Gabriella admitted, crossing her arms and glancing out of the tinted windows.

Troy laughed shakily and Gabriella turned to face him.

"What's funny?" She asked and Troy looked at her, coughing to cover up another fit of laughs.

"You say you don't love yourself but you sure seem to. You're conceited. Everything you do and those close to you revolves around you, even me being here." Troy spat out quickly.

Gabriella recoiled as if he had hit her.

"And I'm guessing you picked that up from TMZ or ? You don't know me, asshole. You're just like everybody else." Gabriella whispered harshly, tears welling in her eyes.

Troy noticed, as a secret agent you had to notice everything but he chose to say nothing.

He didn't care.

But he sighed as he pulled into a parking place and before he had even parked, she was strutting into the school, fans and friends screaming for her attention.

He hoped this assignment would be over soon.

A/N: THANK YOU FOR READING! LOVE YA'LL!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Chapter tres! MUHAHAHA!

**Beauty and the Bodyguard**

Chapter 3: Tension

Troy stalked into the guidance counselor's office. He had forgotten how much he had hated high school when he was in it. And to make matters worse it was a performing arts high school.

Going undercover here would only remind him of his failures.

But, now was not the time to think about that.

When it was finally Troy's turn in the office, he sat down heavily in front of the guidance counselor. Time to revive his old acting chops.

"Hi, I'm Remington Heart." Troy introduced, extending a masculine hand and flashing a boyish smile.

Dressed in a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans and blue and white Jordan's, he looked extremely young.

And his charm and attractiveness was on full blast.

The guidance counselor was putty in his hands as Troy told her all of the classes that he wanted to be in, and they all just happened to be with the great Gabriella Montez.

"You got here at the perfect time Mr. Heart." The guidance counselor purred and Troy simply smirked at her. He saw her face redden.

"I did?" He asked, genuinely surprised by that comment.

"Yes, you see during the fall semester, the students are put on a rigorous academic schedule to complete all the necessary classwork that they will need if they decide to go to college that is not one for fine arts. But it is spring now, and all effort goes into producing a fantastic, perfect end of the year show. All of the classes are performing arts classes or split up into sections for separate groups to rehearse, and the last period of the day is a group rehearsal, but only main and supporting cast members usually have to go to that." She explained as she batted her eyelashes at "Remington".

Troy smiled at her. He would NOT be auditioning for the play, whatever it was.

…

During lunch, Troy called his boss to update him. Classes were surprisingly fun, and Troy had forgotten how much he loved performing, but he would never admit that.

The phone only rang once, before the captain's voice was barking into Troy's ear.

"Remington Heart speaking!" Troy announced, laughing into the phone. The captain, however, was less amused.

"That sounds like a character from Magic Mike, Bolton!" Captain scolded but Troy shrugged.

"No one can argue with my name. And there's quite a few women here and they love it." Troy boasted. His comment was received with silence.

"Bolton, GETTING LAID IS NOT YOUR MISSION! PROTECTING GABRIELLA IS!" Captain reprimanded, and Troy had to lift his cell phone off of his cheek to protect his hearing.

"I'm around Gabriella 24/7… Unless she gets a supporting role or a lead in the play or musical or whatever. Then I'll just have to say I'm sitting in rehearsals-"

"No go, Bolton. That will look too suspicious. You're going to have to audition as well. Break a leg." The captain instructed before hanging up.

The auditions were tomorrow…how was Troy going to be ready in time?

He groaned dramatically.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

After his last period, he was going to have to ask Gabriella for help.

…

As Troy walked into the 'rehearsal' class, he heard the gasps.

He wanted to roll his eyes but he didn't.

"Class, this is Remington Heart." The teacher introduced and the class erupted into snaps. Troy knew that when actors and actresses were rehearsing, you usually snapped instead of clapped so you did not disrupt as much, but he wasn't doing that.

But he did appreciate the show of respect.

Subconsciously, his eyes slid to Gabriella, but she was not looking at him at all. He did not know but that bothered him.

Troy took a seat near the middle, perfect spot for new kids, as the teacher cleared her throat.

"The show this year will be a stage production of… MOULIN ROUGE!" The teacher announced and Troy felt excitement bubble within him. When he was younger-

He quickly shook the thought out of his head.

He was too old for dreams now.

…

In the car, the silence was so strong it hurt.

Gabriella didn't have a cold shoulder, it was straight ice. Ice so cold it burned.

"Gabriella, I need your help." Troy finally said and Gabriella snorted.

"You know, for America's Sweetheart, you sure do act like a brat." Troy huffed.

Gabriella's glare was even colder than the silence.

"Do you know what you act like?" Gabriella countered calmly, and Troy chuckled.

"I'm sure you'll enlighten me." Troy smirked and Gabriella laughed.

"You act like an arrogant son of a bitch. But it's just to compensate for the fact that you're miserable. You're probably so afraid to get close to people because you know that eventually everyone will let you down, you just have to decide who's worth that. You had big dreams once but you gave up because it wasn't "easy" enough for you and you hate me because it seems to come easily to me, and you feel like I'm spoiled because I got advantages that you didn't have but at the end of the day, that's not my fault. I may have had it easier, but you quit! YOU!" Gabriella yelled, and the small space in the car between them became even tenser.

Troy knew that she wasn't fully right, but she was right about quite a bit.

"You don't know." Troy shrugged as he shook his head.

Gabriella turned her back to him.

"You don't know me either. But, you had your mind made up before you even met me of how I would be and what I was like, and reasons that you didn't like me. And you'd never even seen me in person or said 'hi'. You judged me. You're just like all those people you're trying to protect me from." Gabriella murmured, as she laid her head against the window.

Troy felt like her words were daggers. Death by a thousand paper cuts. He was everything that he said he would never be.

Not another word was spoken between them as Troy reached the house, opened the garage door, pulled in, turned the car off, and shut the garage door back.

When Gabriella reached for the door, he locked them.

"I'll scream." She threatened, jutting her chin out bravely.

"I'm sorry." Troy apologized and Gabriella spared a glance over her shoulder at him.

"Me too, Remington." She said, a smile teasing her full pink lips.

Troy rolled his eyes.

"I can't win!" He exclaimed, and Gabriella laughed as Troy unlocked the doors and walked around to her side of the door to open it for her.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise but graciously thanked him as she stepped out of the vehicle, the tension between them now dissipated.

"It seriously sounds like a stripper name." Gabriella jabbed.

"I LIKE IT!" Troy called after her and he tried to fight the flutter in his chest as she giggled, swinging her hips as she walked away from him.

…

The house was pitch black as the person crept through the thoroughly decorated hallways.

Their feet made no sound as they tiptoed along the carpet and their mask was firmly pulled into place.

They knew that she had to be around here somewhere.

Finally, they pushed open a door and saw her lying there, like an angel.

Their beautiful, beautiful angel.

But she had told them that she didn't want them, and that wasn't fair. Not when they loved her so much.

If she wouldn't belong to them, then she wouldn't belong anywhere in this World. It simply wasn't fair.

They raised their large filet knife into the air and brought it down, right towards her heaving chest.

A/N: THE END! Thank ya'll for reading. Love ya'll! Mwah!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Ya'll are killing me with the speed that you are following, favoritng, and reviewing but words cannot express how much that I appreciate it.

To Haylee, I know you are not a fan of suspense and that wasn't the end of the story, but I'm so sorry that you did not enjoy it. And I really appreciate not only your feedback, but also you reading it at all. Thank you!

To teatart: Thank you very much for your kind words and for giving my story a chance. I'm so glad that you feel it is not over the top, as an actress, sometimes I tend to let the dramatics seep into my literature.

To guests: Thank every one of you that reviewed. You all give such great feedback and it aids me as a writer, and honestly, makes me feel pretty damn great. Ya'll rock.

**Beauty and the Bodyguard**

Chapter 4: Your Song

Before the blade could even pierce Gabriella's soft skin, it was suddenly pried out of the person's hand and the sharp tip placed against their neck.

The person gasped in surprise but Troy put his finger to his lips in a shush motion. Slowly, Troy grabbed the person and dragged them out of the room, careful not to wake up sleeping beauty.

When they were out of the room and in the foyer, Troy released the knife from the person's neck and he had to admit, he was quite surprised.

The stalker that attacked Gabriella was a woman. She was petite, and maybe once she was beautiful, but her shifting eyes and twitching was a sign that mentally, she was not right.

Even so, she was a danger, and Troy would not let anyone hurt his Gabriella.

His? Okay he was just tired, there was no way that he had meant that.

She was his mission. That was all she was.

Troy cleared his throat and the woman looked at him, the shadows under her eyes making her face look decrypted and sunken in.

"I'm going to have to call the police. If you make any move to harm me, and most importantly the girl, I will be forced to restrain you, is that clear?" Troy asked, quirking an eyebrow at the woman.

She cocked her head to the side. "Oh, you seem angry." She observed but Troy just took a deep breath and pulled out his cell phone and began dialing.

"You're angry with me for trying to hurt her, aren't you?" The woman asked, her voice cracking. Drugs did affect the vocal chords, and her smoking-since-she-was-two voice had to be the result of that.

"Yes, I have a suspect here. She broke in and attempted to murder a minor." Troy explained into the receiver. He wanted to give his name and credentials but he did not want to say it in front of the woman, and at the same time, he refused to move to another area out of her ear shot for fear she would sneak off and attack Gabriella again.

"You act so cold but she makes you warm. In more ways than one. She makes me warm too, in both ways. Oh I wanted to taste her blood. Feel it dripping onto my-"

"SHUT UP! DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HURTING HER! PSYCHOPATHS LIKE YOU ARE WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE WORLD AND I WON'T STOP UNTIL YOU ARE ALL GONE SO NONE OF YOU WILL EVER HURT HER! I WON'T ALLOW IT! YOU HEAR ME?!" Troy screamed, moving to stand in front of the woman. He noticed that the police were on the line so he quickly hung up, embarrassed at his outburst.

Her face crumpled, and tears welled in her eyes.

Troy's face was fire red from anger, and his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. But, if he had gone to sleep that night instead of checking the house one last time, Gabriella would have died.

The thought hit him like a ton of bricks.

People wanted to kill her, and he couldn't even tell her why or what was really going on. He was lying to her just like everyone else, but she needed to be protected.

She was delicate and he would not be the one to tell her the truth and hurt her.

Just as the police arrived, their sirens blaring and tires screeching, the lady stood up and dashed towards him, using her body as a battering ram.

Troy caught her in his large muscular arms. She was a small woman and she wasn't as strong as sh thought.

With a cry of rage she leaned back and head-butted him.

His vision swam but he restrained her and leaned back, careful to not let her hit him again.

As the police dashed in and pried her off, he stumbled backwards, and fell to the floor, disoriented and dizzy.

As a child he had had many concussions from sports and fights, so not only was he susceptible to him, it was dangerous for him to get them, and the force that that woman hit him with was stronger than any other time that he had been hit.

"Troy!" He heard a voice cry and suddenly Gabriella was leaning over him.

"Hey, I didn't know that you were a triplet!" He exclaimed as three Gabriella's swam in front of his face. Man, what if he started to like all of them?! Would he choose Gabriella 1, Gabriella 2, or Gabriella 3?

It was like Russian roulette!

"Help! Please help!" Gabriella cried out, tears streaming down her face.

"Hey, hey, I'm fine. I'm just on a rollercoaster at Disneyworld. I'll come down soon. I hope I don't fall." Troy explained as he reached up to wipe away her tears, but he didn't know whose face he should wipe.

Gabriella 1, Gabriella 2, or Gabriella 3?

He reached up and brushed the tears off of Gabriella 1's face. She leaned into his hand and smiled and that was all he saw as the World spiraled into darkness.

…

Troy awoke slowly, his head pounding. He sat up quickly, and found that he was in his own bed in the guest wing.

After a moment, he remembered everything.

"Gabriella! Gabriella!" He called out as he jumped out of bed-

-And promptly fell to his knees.

Gabriella rushed in and helped the large man back into his bed.

"I'm right here, Troy. Everything is fine." Gabriella soothed and Troy nodded.

"Ms. Montez too?" Troy asked and Gabriella nodding, assuring him that everyone was alright.

"You should be sleeping. The audition is tomorrow." Troy instructed, as he settled back into the pillows.

Gabriella shook her head.

"I can't sleep… What was that woman doing here?" Gabriella questioned, her big brown eyes even wider with fear.

Troy couldn't tell her the truth. Man, he sounded just like Ms. Montez.

"Um, she was just a junkie. She knew a celebrity lived here so she broke in to search for money to buy more drugs. When I found her and tried to restrain her, she head butted me." Troy lied so smoothly, even he almost believed it.

Gabriella smiled in relief and Troy gulped down the guilt.

"So, why don't you help me with my song then?" Troy asked, waggling his eyebrows comically at her.

Gabriella laughed.

"Sure." She agreed between giggles.

Troy sat up straighter in his bed and cleared his throat.

"Do you know any songs from the musical though? You don't HAVE to sing a song from the show, but it would be better if you did, and for the character that you want so the casting directors can really imagine you in the part." Gabriella advised professionally and Troy smirked at her. He knew so much more than she thought.

He performed a few difficult vocal exercises and Gabriella sat back in her chair, wondering if he was just screwing with her or not.

Suddenly, Troy opened his mouth and out came the most perfect sound Gabriella had ever heard.

"My gift is my song and this one's for you

And you can tell everybody that this is your song

It may be quite simple but now that it's done

I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind

That I put down in words

How wonderful life is

Now that you're in the World"

His voice was strong, and raspy, like gravel but it was strong, and he shifted from his chest voice to his head voice and then to falsetto with ease. When he belted, his bravado was soul melting.

Was soul melting a real World?

If not, it should be, because it was the only way to describe what he did when he sang.

Gabriella blinked rapidly at him. She couldn't believe it. Why was this man not on Broadway making millions?

Troy saw her expression, and being a federal agent, he was trained to pick up on people's emotions. He wasn't going to answer any of her questions. He would not get close to her,

"Troy, that was-!" She started to exclaim but Troy shook his head.

"I know, I'll fix it by auditions tomorrow." He said, his tone monotone.

Gabriella was taken aback by the sudden coolness that he regarded her with.

She knew that no matter what she said, he wouldn't believe in himself.

"So, you're auditioning for Christian?" Gabriella inquired, trying to engage Troy into conversation with her. She was starting to genuinely enjoy his company, and his voice had left her love sick.

Troy just shot her a glare that basically said "duh".

"Well, I'm auditioning for Satine. Wouldn't that be crazy if we both got the parts we wanted and-" Gabriella stopped mid-sentence. Troy was glaring daggers at her. His stare was so full of hatred that Gabriella had to stop and catch her breath.

Taking the hint, Gabriella stood up and walked towards the door.

As she opened it, she glanced back over her shoulder at him.

"Thank you… for um, protecting me and my mom tonight from that junkie or whatever." Gabriella thanked, sending him a bright smile.

As she shut the door behind her, Troy flopped back on the pillows.

He couldn't let his guard down around her again, because she was starting to get to him, and that would ruin everything.

A/N: Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I know I know… Enjoy!

**Beauty and the Bodyguard**

Chapter 5: Sunset

Troy walked outside, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder as he climbed into the SUV. Gabriella opened the passenger side door and climbed into the passenger seat, circular Prada glasses adorned her flawless face.

Troy looked at her but she turned her head. He sighed as he started the car, opened the garage door, and pulled out.

Ha… pulled out. Troy laughed at his immature humor and he turned to look at Gabriella but she was still ignoring him.

He waited until he pulled into a parking spot at the school before he turned to face her. Sure, he wanted to distance himself from her but he needed to know what was bothering her. It may be a threat, and at the end of the day, his job was to protect her.

"Gabriella!" He called out as she reached for the door handle.

"Oh now you want to call me by my name!" She snorted.

"I called you by your name yesterday, Ms. Montez." Troy corrected.

She ignored him and kept moving.

Troy quirked an eyebrow and pressed the "locked button" that sat above the driver's door handle.

Gabriella turned and he knew she was glaring underneath her designer sunglasses.

"You know, I'm sick of tired of you trying to lock me in this car. I didn't tell you last time but I can unlock my door from this side too right? I'm just trying to feed into your obnoxious ego right now." She said venomously and Troy's eyebrow rose again.

Who was this confident little shit?

"Stop raising your eyebrow. You look like a walking douchebag ad." She commented before unlocking her door.

"Gabriella." Troy murmured in a warning tone but Gabriella just tossed him the middle finger and stepped out of the car.

Troy had had enough. He was trying to protect this girl and she was acting like a brat.

"I guess I was right about you!" He tossed out after her. She stopped in her tracks, and turned around.

"What you think doesn't matter to me. Your job is to keep me safe. You've proven that. So stop pretending like you care." She admonished and Troy just stared dumbfounded as she slammed the door and strutted into the school.

…

Troy walked into the audition, feeling well… less than confident. He felt like if he got the part, it would not be fair to the other students. Sure they were trained but he was older. More experience and all that jazz.

However, he couldn't think about that. His goal was to protect Gabriella, and the best way was to get apart in this play. Sure he could go for a more minor character but he should go for a major character. Then he'd have the same rehearsal schedule as Gabriella and be able to better protect her, no matter how he felt about him.

At least that's what he tried to tell himself.

As the director walked towards the stage, Troy snuck a peek at Gabriella. It was ridiculous how many people sat around her and she talked and laughed with everyone, including everyone in on the conversation but something was off.

She did not seem as genuine as she usually did and Troy was worried. The problem could not be only him, could it?

It was then that she turned and made eye contact with him. Her eyes were so brown, it was almost like they weren't real.

He felt himself staring at her and her features. Those almond eyes, full pink lips, and those long eyes lashes.

Who would want to hurt that girl?

Suddenly her eyes narrowed and she quirked an eyebrow at him, mimicking him, and he laughed.

Troy noticed that she turned away and when he looked up, everyone was staring at him.

"Are you alright, Remington?" The director asked and Troy nodded.

Now everyone would think the new kid was a crazy guy who laughed to himself.

"Well then, why don't you go first?" The director asked and Troy felt himself freeze.

He hadn't acted, sung, or danced in years. He couldn't do this. He wasn't good enough.

He was never good enough.

But, he knew his prestigious job was on the line so with a gulp he stood and walked to the stage. A techie standing by the stairs that led to the stage took his audition sheet and ran it to the judges (the head of the acting, singing, and dancing departments of the performing arts high school) so they were reading over it as soon as he walked to the center of the stage that was marked by a blue duct tape "x".

The room full of people stared at him and he felt his head start to spin and he felt nauseous. He closed his eyes and placed his hands on his knees.

"Mr. Heart?" One of the judges asked cautiously and Troy looked up into their concerned faces and flashed a false smile.

"Sorry." He apologized. He stood up straight and look at the crowd.

He felt himself growing dizzy again.

"My name is Remington Heart. I will be auditioning for the role of Christian." He introduced, he knew how auditions worked.

As the piano player started, Troy felt his confidence whoosh out of him. He couldn't do this, not again. He could NOT handle more rejection, and especially not from some high school.

He opened his mouth to sing and the first few notes were all over the place. He was flat, off pitch, and his voice shook.

Troy heard collective gasps and the judges had loos of horror on their faces.

Okay, he wasn't THAT bad… right?

He turned to go. He had to run. He had to get away, He could find a new job. He could-

"Stop!" Gabriella stood up and commanded. The people around her stopped their snickering and everyone turned to look at the young starlet.

"Give him another chance!" She desperately implored the judges.

"You know that we have a lot of students here. We don't have time to give second-!" One judge started to say but Gabriella cut them off.

"I understand, ma'am, but I know everyone here remembers my first audition! I was… well, awful!" The crowd laughed as she giggled at herself in embarrassment.

"But, you gave me one more chance when everyone else said no. If it wasn't for you, I would not be as confident as I am today. He's new here, I don't know him, but he seems nice and he's probably just nervous. The way I was. So please, give him another chance." Gabriella begged as she clasped her hands together.

Silence resonated in the auditorium.

Gabriella licked her lips and spoke again.

"If you don't give him another chance, then this school is not the safe haven that I thought it was, and I will refuse to audition too." Gabriella announced, crossing her arms defiantly.

Without another word, she sat down and looked expectantly at Troy.

Troy stared at her, his heart accelerated.

She was not the sensitive child her mother made her out to be, Troy realized. She was a young woman and he liked her.

He gulped at the thought and turned his attention to the judges.

The one who had spoken to Gabriella nodded slightly at him and he knew that he had to nail it.

As the piano player began to play, Troy opened his mouth.

…

Gabriella felt tingles erupt up and down her spine as Troy began to sing. His bright eyes burned with passion and dedication, which was the whole theme of the song.

He was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

She glanced around and saw the open mouths around her. People were astonished by the sudden change.

Troy was going to get the part, she knew it.

He may be an asshole, but one thing he wasn't was not talented.

As he finished, the whole auditorium stood and gave him a sudden ovation, Gabriella included.

When he bowed and laughed, Gabriella felt her heart melt and when his eyes melt her she knew the truth.

Yes, he was a jerk, but she wanted him to be her jerk.

But, she knew that would never happen, so she smiled and waved halfheartedly at him before flashing a thumbs up.

After another hour and a half, it was her turn to perform and she walked to the stage.

The actress that was walking off of the stage bumped right into Gabriella and she fell backwards and on her butt.

She looked up at who bumped into her and was not surprised to see Sharpay Evans.

Sharpay and Gabriella had been born on the same day by two best friends, and they had been competing for roles since that day. The friendship between their families disintegrated and the two were constantly competing for everything.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Sharpay said, her voice full of false sugar.

She bent down and lifted Gabriella to her feet.

As she stood, Gabriella looked over and saw that Troy had stood up and was about to make his way over, thinking that she was being attacked.

Not wanting to look suspicious, Gabriella pushed a strand of her chocolate tresses behind her ear while shaking her head side to side.

Troy took his seat and cracked a joke to the wondering eyes of the people beside him. As they laughed, Gabriella directed her attention to Sharpay, who wrapped Gabriella in a hug with her pale and toned arms.

"Not this year, Montez. Satine is mine." She whispered in her ear, before pulling back and looking her up and down as if she was concerned.

Gabriella smiled and playfully batted her hand away, maybe a little too forcefully and laughed as she pushed past Sharpay and waltzed on the stage like she belonged there, and she did.

If Sharpay got the part, then Gabriella would be upset, but she knew that there would be a reason. Sharpay was talented as well, and Gabriella would be happy for her.

Would she ever tell her that thought? No.

"My name is Gabriella Montez and I will be auditioning for the role of Satine." She introduced happily and she got into position.

…

One thing Troy realized when Gabriella started singing, was that she knew what she was doing.

All of the other girls that auditioned for Satine had used "One Day I'll Fly Away", "Come What May", or some other type of ballad but not Gabriella. She got on stage and sang "Sparkling Diamonds", complete with an improvised dance routine and she nailed it. He could see her in his head under the spotlights, in the costume, and against the set.

One look at the judges and he knew that they saw it too.

After a few more auditions, the director stood up and announced that auditions were over and callbacks would be posted the next day.

Troy was walking out the door and trying to figure out how he and Gabriella would ride home together without drawing attention, when a pink high heel blocked his way and almost tripped him.

Troy's eyes followed that pink high heel to a skinny pale leg, a small waist, a huge chest, and a face that was smothered in too much make-up for a high schooler.

She looked Broadway ready.

In case you wondered, that was not a compliment.

She smiled flirtatiously and Troy realized that it was the girl from earlier who had knocked Gabriella down.

He disliked her instantly.

She flipped long blonde curls over her shoulder and moved so that she stood in front of him.

"I'm Sharpay." She introduced with a wink and Troy nodded.

"Remington." He said back simply and she giggled.

It was annoying.

"I must admit, when I first heard your voice, I laughed but, in reality…Your voice is amazing. It did some pretty good things to this girl!" Sharpay flirted as she took a step closer and placed her hands on Troy's broad chest.

Troy glanced around but the hallways were emptying and Gabriella was nowhere to be found.

Help! HELP! ANYONE!

Troy smirked obnoxiously at her and pried her hands off of him.

"Oh, finally, a boy who likes it rough!" Sharpay giggled as she moved closer, pressing herself against him.

Troy's eyes widened and he took a step back.

"Shar! Let's go! We have auditions for Broadway tomorrow at 6 am!" A guy called. He had on a fedora and when Troy squinted, he looked almost identical to Sharpay.

Sharpay sighed.

"I'll get you next time, wild cat." She murmured into his ear, nibbling on the lobe.

Troy pushed her off and she laughed before skipping away to what he presumed to be her brother.

Troy sighed before practically running out of the building like a bat out of hell and jumping into his car and locking the doors.

"What's wrong?!" Gabriella questioned from the passenger side.

He turned and looked at her.

"Sharpay!" He choked out melodramatically and Gabriella burst into a fit of giggles. After a second he began to chuckle as well.

"I saw her ogling you. She is a piece of work! Watch your back!" Gabriella warned.

With another laugh, he started the car and began to drive as the sun set.

Gabriella replaced her oversized oval sunglasses and Troy cleared his throat.

"Gabriella… thank you. I really appreciated it. And I just want to apologize for how I've been treating you." He said sincerely and Gabriella scoffed.

"You've said sorry before but in a few days you'll be acting like Omarion." She accused, focusing her eyes out of the window.

"Was that an 'Ice Box' reference?" He asked incredulously, raising his signature eyebrow.

Gabriella glanced over and laughed.

"That stupid eyebrow!" She pointed out and he laughed too.

They made jokes until he entered the code for the gate and pulled into the garage.

Before he shut the garage door, and before Gabriella could get out of the car like she was trying to do at that moment, he locked the door.

"We've got to stop meeting like this." He teased and Gabriella crossed her arms, unamused.

"Third time's the charm?" He tried again and he saw he smirk slightly.

He reached forward and lifted the sunglasses off of her face.

In the glow of the sunset, her eyes were bright, her face golden, and her lips so full and red.

"If I have to, I will die protecting you. You can trust me with your life." He blurted suddenly. He did not know what possessed him to say those words but he felt like she needed to know.

"You won't lie to me?" She whispered, her voice soft and vulnerable.

"No." He whispered, cupping her high cheekbones in his large palms.

Gabriella jumped but then relaxed into him, her eyes closing and a sad smile spreading across her lips.

He leaned closer to her and his eyes flickered from her closed eyes to her lips. Could he really jeopardize his career and his freedom (JAILBAIT) for this girl?

He was already risking his life for her, he could handle anything else, and consequences be damned!

Gabriella opened those sunset bathed eyes and he saw the hesitation in her eyes.

She was uncomfortable and he was practically forcing himself on a girl who was just shy of 18.

He let go of her flawless face, leaned back in her seat, and lowered the garage door.

As it closed, he turned to her.

"So what was the matter this morning?" Troy inquired and he saw fear flash in Gabriella's dark eyes.

She slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out a note.

In cliché letters that looked from a magazine were the words. Troy read them aloud.

"They are lying to you

Do not trust them

We will have you

We will rip you to pieces

Leave before we get you"

Troy glanced at her, and he saw that tears were running down her face.

"I know you think I'm a cry baby, and I guess I am, but it's hard dealing with the fact that people want to kill me. I know there are crazy people everywhere and I set myself up for this by wanting to be an actress but it's so much harder than you think when you're looking at the tabloids and stories from the outside." She confessed.

Troy felt anger bubble within him.

"Where. Was. This?!" He seethed and Gabriella's lip quivered as she tried to control the flow of water from her eyes.

"On the front door. I found it when I went out to get the mail." Gabriella whispered and Troy's anger boiled over.

"THIS HOUSE IS GATED! YOU KNOW PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO KILL YOU, SO YOU GO OUTSIDE?! AND WITHOUT TELLING ME OR ALERTING YOUR MOTHER?! THAT'S IDIOTIC, GABRIELLA! YOU ARE NOT A CHILD! YOU HAVE TO STOP BEING SO NAÏVE! AND SO DAMN SENSITIVE!" Troy screamed at her, his voice echoing in the silent space of the vehicle.

Gabriella recoiled as if he had struck her, her tears running freely now.

As soon as he saw her face he knew that she had opened up to him and he had turned on her right after.

There goes all the sweet things he said to her. What woman would believe those words after that?! But, he was concerned for her, he cared about her, and her purposely going out alone and not under his protection when people were out there hunting her, made him crazy.

She was staring at him, her eyes confused.

Hell, he would have been confused too.

"What do you mean people are trying to kill me? I didn't know. I mean, I just found the letter today." She asked and that's when Troy realized that he had slipped up.

He had just promised that he would never lie to her, and now he would have to lie again.

She could not handle the truth.

"Well, you know that there are people who want to hurt you, that's why I'm here. You're right, you just got the letter today, and I just over reacted." He said smoothly, his voice even.

Agents were trained liars. They had to be.

Troy reached towards her but she jerked back, got out of the car, and slammed the door.

With a cry of frustration, he balled his hand into a fist and bashed it against the dash board.

His whole life he had ruined everything, and he continued to ruin everything.

A/N: Please forgive me for being gone so long! I made this chapter extra-long to make up for it! I love ya'll! MWAH! *Blows kisses*


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